admin
in national economic development against a backdrop of devastating illegal sanctions imposed on the country by the West.
She said this while officiating at the 10th anniversary commemorations and the launch of the Taxpayer Appreciation Day.
“As a nation, we must appreciate the role that the Revenue Authority has played in economic development and assisting the country to move on in spite of economic sanctions. Zimra has enabled us to retain our dignity and soldier on when most countries expected us to falter and fall on our knees because of sanctions,” said Acting President Mujuru.
She said the resources mobilised by Zimra had helped in buying essential medicines, rehabilitation of roads and infrastructure.
She said donor fatigue and the global recession had led most African countries to realise that revenue generation through taxation was critical in sustaining economies.
Acting President Mujuru said Zimra had been established without any external assistance showing that sustainable development could only come from within.
“As resilient and hardworking Zimbabweans, we have managed to prove that as pointed by his Excellency (President Mugabe) at the 62nd Session of the United Nations General Assembly in 2007, development at country level should continue to be country-led and not be subject to the whims of powerful donor states,” she said.
The Acting President commended Zimra for collecting revenue that contributed 33 percent to Zimbabwe’s GDP last year following the cutting of lines of credit and balance of payments support by multilateral institutions.
“Our thrust as our economy gradually picks up is to promote local industrial growth and competitiveness and to increase our tax base through innovative strategies. Thus there is need for Zimra to consolidate the gains made by continuously making paying taxes less burdensome,” she said.
Acting President Mujuru urged Zimra to deal with corruption within its ranks and urged the public to report to responsible authorities any cases they come across.
She said Government was committed to fighting corruption as indicated by the appointment of an Anti-Corruption Commission chaired by Mr Denford Chirindo this month.
Cde Mujuru urged Zimbabweans to show their patriotism by paying taxes.
“There is nothing patriotic about smuggling goods using undesignated entry points, crossing crocodile-infested rivers and landmine-laden paths in the process. Patriotic citizens will never evade paying taxes or even keep quiet when their neighbours are defrauding the State,” she said.
She urged Zimra to be vigilant so that Zimbabwe is not used as a transit route for illegal trade and said Government would tighten security at the country’s frontiers to curb such vices.
She said the launch of the Taxpayers Appreciation Day was important in honouring taxpayers that have complied and contributed to the fiscus.
The day was first commemorated in Rwanda and has spread to over 30 countries.
Seventeen companies were honoured for their contributions yesterday.
Zimra Commissioner General Mr Gershem Pasi, said the organisation would strive to collect maximum revenue for the country, commending his staff for soldiering on when times were difficult.
“The establishment of the authority came at a critical time for our country when there were economic sanctions and cutting of lines of credit. So we had to work very hard to collect revenue,” he said
Commissioners general from revenue authorities of Botswana, Lesotho, South Africa and leaders from other African countries attended yesterday’s ceremony.
Commissioner of the South African Revenue Services and current chairman of the African Taxes Administrators Forum, Mr Oupa Magashula, said it was imperative for African countries to co-operate in revenue collection to curb tax evasions.
Londile Moyo
Bongani Ndlovu